Let’s have an informal little “contest.”<\/p>\n
Which of these 3 headlines do you think did best:<\/p>\n
1. “How To Get Rich Slowly”<\/p>\n
2. “Can India Stop China”<\/p>\n
3. “5687 Ira Road, Bath, Ohio 44210”<\/p>\n
The advertising critics would say:<\/p>\n
These all suck! There’s no benefit! Who wants to get rich slowly?\u00a0Who cares if India stops China! A mailing address? Are you f–ing\u00a0kidding me, Ben???<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
And (as usual) the advertising critics would be wrong.<\/p>\n
Here’s why:<\/p>\n
The first headline was written by Gary Bencivenga. (Universally acknowledged as the world’s greatest living\u00a0copywriter.) And, he had to fight tooth and nail to get the client to run it.<\/p>\n
But, guess what?<\/p>\n
When it ran, it absolutely CRUSHED it in sales.<\/p>\n
Same with the second headline.<\/p>\n
It was for a control written by Doug D’Anna.<\/p>\n
(One of the top direct mail copywriters on the planet.)<\/p>\n
And the third one?<\/p>\n
Just a mailing address?<\/p>\n
Well, I don’t know if that was really the “headline” because, you\u00a0see, there was no real headline. Just a return address at the top\u00a0right corner. But, it was on the “most mailed” sales letter in\u00a0human history written by the late “grand puba” of marketing himself\u00a0— Gary Halbert.<\/p>\n
Yes, it’s true, my little droogie.<\/p>\n
The most mailed sales letter in history lacked a “killer” headline<\/strong><\/span>.<\/p>\n
Or, even a headline at all.<\/p>\n
(BTW, some say the famous Wall Street Journal control ad mailed to\u00a0more people, but it just so happens that letter lacked a headline,\u00a0too…)<\/p>\n
Anyway, what’s the point?<\/p>\n
Where’s this coming from?<\/p>\n
Why bring this up?<\/p>\n
Because some dude once\u00a0sent me an email saying the\u00a0headline selling the “Email Players” newsletter (and I quote)\u00a0“sucks balls”, without bothering to gather the facts about how it’s\u00a0been working.<\/p>\n
And, methinks a few hints are in order:<\/p>\n
Hint #1:<\/strong> It’s been doing just fine for almost 4 years<\/p>\n
Hint #2:<\/strong> It has to do with market awareness & who I’m targeting<\/p>\n
Hint #3:<\/strong> Emails ARE the new headlines (which I will explain more\u00a0about in a future “Email Players” issue — for now, I will say that\u00a0when I discovered this, it changed the entire game for me and shot\u00a0my sales through the roof)<\/p>\n
I could go on.<\/p>\n
But, I think you get the point.<\/p>\n
And, hopefully so do the advertising critics.<\/p>\n
Subscribe to “Email Players” here:<\/p>\n